Minutes of the Leadership Board: 22 January 2026

Meeting held on 22 January 2026 at Conference Room 1, Crown Office and via Microsoft Teams  

Board members present:

John Logue, Crown Agent and Chief Executive  

Stephen McGowan, Legal Director Litigation

Katrina Parkes, Legal Director National Casework 

Laura Buchan, Legal Director Deaths Investigations

Sarah Carter, Director of People 

Marlene Anderson, Acting Chief Operating Officer

In attendance:

Katie Woods, Head of Chief Operating Officer Office

Jonathan Shebioba, Head of Business Management Local Court 

Thomas Lindie, Head of Business Management, National Casework

Gavin Anderson, Head of Business Management Death Investigations

Lindsey McIntosh, Director of Performance and Service Improvement

Jenny Stewart, Director of Transformation and Change 

Rachel Weir, Director of Policy

Keith Dargie, Chief Digital Officer

Rahul Singh, Chief of Staff

Secretariat: 

Frances Ross, Head of Corporate Governance 

Matthew Beattie, Corporate Governance Manager 

Christopher Hastings, Corporate Governance and Briefing Coordinator (Secretariat) 

Apologies:

Yvette Greener, Chief Operating Officer

Lindsey Miller, Deputy Crown Agent and Legal Director Local Court

Jim Brisbane, Director of Strategy 

The Chair opened the meeting by welcoming attendees and noting apologies from those unable to attend. The Chair also introduced and welcomed Jenny Stewart, the new Director of Transformation and Change, who was attending her first meeting.

The Chair introduced Paper LB1226(2.1) (Leadership Board minutes 18 December 2025). The Board reviewed and approved the minutes of the December meeting.

The Chair handed over to the Corporate Governance Manager, who introduced LB1226 (2.2) (Leadership Board Action tracker) providing an update on the actions. Actions 14, 17 and 18 were agreed to be closed as these would be resolved through items on the agenda. Action 13 would be carried forward to the February meeting to allow for a substantive update to be provided. Action 15 will provide an update at a future LB meeting for any changes made from the PAR Pilot. Action 19 would also be kept open as it will be resolved by the February LB meeting.

The Chair noted that Action 19 should have been completed in advance of the January Leadership Board.

The Chair asked the Chief Digital Officer to ensure the draft document and comments from the Strategic Board is circulated prior to the final draft document to show the progress that has been made. Chief Digital Officer agreed to this.

Action: Chief Digital Officer to circulate the draft digital strategy, including Strategic Board comments before the end of January to show progress that has been made.

The Chair introduced paper LB1226(3.1) (Leadership Board Performance Dashboard - January 2026) passing over to the Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates and the Corporate Governance Manager to go through it.

The Acting COO provided an update on the financial position for 2025/26 and 2026/27. The Board noted that the forecast for 2025/26 had improved over the past month, with the organisation now expecting an underspend. This position was primarily driven by staffing‑related savings, including the impact of vacancies and posts not being filled as planned, alongside non‑staff efficiencies.

Turning to 2026/27, the Acting COO confirmed that COPFS had received a comparatively positive settlement for next year, and that budget allocations would be set on the basis of the organisation’s planned requirements. The Board discussed the medium‑term financial outlook and emphasised the importance of aligning business plans with expected savings and organisational priorities. Members agreed that business planning should be prioritised in the coming weeks to ensure that required changes, including staffing and prioritisation decisions, are fully reflected in functional plans for 2026/27 and beyond.

The Corporate Governance Manager outlined the December performance results. The Board noted continued improvement across several measures but expressed concern about the slow completion rate of mandatory e-learning. Members stressed the importance of staff scheduling time to complete training. The Board also discussed wider wellbeing pressures on staff as well as variations in performance outcomes across functions, acknowledging that some targets might no longer be achievable.

The Legal Director for National Casework presented an update on National Casework stabilisation and reprioritisation, drawing on the modelling undertaken to understand long term staffing requirements, including productivity assumptions and likely demand. The Board discussed the proposed short-term reallocation of staff and considered the broader organisational implications of these changes. Members noted ongoing work to improve processes and productivity. The Board stressed the importance of coordinated communication to staff, to support clarity and minimise uncertainty. It was agreed that National Casework Stabilisation would remain a standing item on the agenda, subject to further review.

DECISION: The Chair took the decision to keep this as an ongoing item on the agenda for future Leadership Board meetings although Head of Business Management, National Casework suggested it could be taken off and folded into the function update as part of the performance report. This will be discussed.

ACTION: Governance Team to consider whether National Casework project should remain a dedicated agenda item or be integrated into the functional reporting.

ACTION: The cross functional risk assessment to be circulated to the board members for approval via correspondence once finalised next week.

The People Director outlined the revised SCS performance management proposals, confirming alignment with Cabinet Office guidance. Members emphasised the need for the approach to remain proportionate and appropriate to COPFS and requested that People Directorate ensure that implementation avoids unnecessary administrative burden.

The PD provided an update on the new PAR process, which had first been presented to the Board in November. The update outlined the identification of early adopters who will pilot key elements of the revised approach ahead of wider implementation. The Board noted the progress made to date and the planned rollout in May of the next performance year, subject to evaluation of the pilot phase. Members discussed the limited size of the early adopter group and agreed that expanding representation across operational areas, including National Casework, would strengthen the evidence base and ensure the model is tested in a broader range of environments.

Feedback was provided to the People Director in relation to mandatory objectives on DEI, Leadership & Management and Mandatory training.

The Chair introduced LB1226(7.1) (Leadership Board Decision Log) and checked with the Board if anything needed updating. The Board was happy with the log.

There was no further business. The Chair thanked everyone for their contributions and closed the meeting.